From the Editor

From the Editor

2020: What a year!

Here we are in December 2020. What a long, difficult year it has been. The year got off to a pretty normal start with New Year’s celebrations and Mardi Gras following. It was shortly after Mardi Gras that things began to go downhill quickly with the news of a deadly virus coming out of China that was very contagious. The damage was already done. Crowds of people traveling to New Orleans and South Louisiana from all parts of the world were carrying the virus and spreading it all across Southern Louisiana.

Soon, we were part of a nation-wide lockdown. Millions of Americans were out of work; students finished the school year through distance learning. Our churches were closed. Pastors got creative and began livestreaming Sunday Masses. Social media became the predominant way to communicate in parish life. We were experiencing a new normal, and were part of a global pandemic that would change our lives for the remainder of the year. It’s likely that we will still be battling the pandemic through 2021.

This was a summer of protests in many streets in America. The protests began the day after George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man was killed during an arrest where Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis police officer, knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly eight minutes as three other officers looked on and prevented passers-by from intervening.

Local protests began in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota before quickly spreading nationwide to over 2,000 cities and towns in over 60 countries in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. It is estimated that between 15 and 26 million people participated at some point in the demonstrations in the United States, making the protests the largest in U.S. history. Protesters gathered for months in an effort to call out those within law enforcement to change the way people of color are treated in this country. It is to be one of the largest protest efforts of antiracism from coast to coast.

The year 2020 was not short on natural disasters either. While we were experiencing an overactive Atlantic hurricane season, out west there were record-setting wildfires.

The Western United States experienced a series of major wildfires. Severe August thunderstorms ignited numerous wildfires across California, Oregon and Washington, followed in early September by additional ignitions across the West Coast. Fanned by strong, gusty winds and fueled by hot, dry terrains, many of the fires exploded into record-breaking mega fires, burning more than 8.2 million acres of land, mobilizing tens of thousands of firefighters, razing over 10,000 buildings, and killing at least 37 people.

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has been the most active Atlantic hurricane season on record. It is an ongoing season featuring tropical formations at a record-breaking rate. So far, there have been a total of 31 tropical or subtropical cyclones, 30 named storms, 13 hurricanes and five major hurricanes. It is also the second tropical cyclone season to feature the Greek alphabet to name storms. Of the 30 named storms, 12 made landfall in the United States, breaking the record of nine set in 1916. In addition, the season is the first to see seven named tropical cyclones make landfall in the continental United States before September. During the season, 27 tropical storms have broken the record for the earliest formation by storm number. It has been the fifth consecutive above average season, from 2016 onward. At one point or another, Cristobal, Marco, Laura, Sally, Beta and Delta all had forecasted tracks that included Louisiana. Lake Charles took the hardest hit in Louisiana when Hurricane Laura made landfall in the southwestern part of the state as a Category 4 hurricane.

Autumn 2020 brought a national election. The United States of America isn’t looking very united these days. We are living in a sharply divided country along political lines of conservatives and liberals. Our country has become so divided that it has even begun to take its toll on families who have members with opposing views. Even during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, politics plays into how we think, act and respond to the virus. We can’t even agree on wearing a mask for protection, social distancing and large group gatherings.

More than ever we need to hear the Good News of the Advent season and the preparation for Jesus’ second coming.

More than ever we need the Good News of the Christmas season with the birth of the child Jesus. We are in desperate need of peace on Earth and goodwill toward all people. It’s a longstanding prayer of hope during a time where there seems to be little hope. God gave us his son so that there would be peace on Earth. He sent his son to be an example for all. Let us take time this season of Advent and Christmas to reflect on what it means to be a child of God.

Ask yourself, “What can I do to bring about peace in a world that is swimming in turmoil?”

Remember, after reading Bayou Catholic, pass it on to a friend or relative who might not be attending Mass. It’s one of the great ways to do your part in spreading the Good News. BC

Lawrence

Lawrence Chatagnier

Editor & General Manager

St. Genevieve Catholic School has new media center

Story by Janet Marcel Photos by Lawrence Chatagnier

Bishop Shelton J. Fabre recently blessed and dedicated a new media center on the campus of St. Genevieve Catholic School in Thibodaux.

Cheryl Thibodaux, principal of the school since the 2019-20 school year, says the funds for the new building were raised through a capital campaign.

“We are truly blessed to have such generous donors that assist us in living out the mission of St. Genevieve Catholic School,” she adds.

Construction began in June 2019 on the new four-room, 5,953 square foot building. The media center, which consists of a new band room, computer lab, library and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Lab, was completed in April 2020.

Thibodaux explains that the new band room will provide a permanent location for the school’s music education program. The new computer lab houses 30 computers in a spacious environment. The new library will afford the school an opportunity to expand its book selection, as well as address future technology needs. And, the new STEM lab will provide an extra space for students to participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities. BC Catholic Schools